Wind erosion: Processes and control principles

Key points

Wind erosion is a process that moves soil by wind.
Wind erosion occurs when the roughness of the soil surface - including ground cover - is not enough to protect the soil.
‘Roughness elements’ like soil clods or vegetation can protect soil downwind.
Each roughness element protects an area 3 times its height downwind.
Erosion is best controlled with vegetative ground cover, including standing stubble, dried pasture and living plants.
During droughts or after fire, ground cover is often inadequate which can lead to erosion.

Erosion is best controlled with vegetative ground cover. In most years, the growing-season ground cover is adequate to protect the soil until the next growing season. However, in droughts or after fire, ground cover is often inadequate to control erosion.

The risk of wind erosion increases when the ground cover is below 50% and the soil is loose and dry.

Background

If you see dust blowing off a paddock, you are witnessing the topsoil - the best part of the soil - leaving your area.

Wind erosion is a natural process that shifts soil from one location to another by wind. Wind erosion causes soil, carbon and nutrient loss and on duplex soils, the formation of scalds and reduced water infiltration. In extreme cases, it can cause the burial of infrastructure. It can also cause considerable off-site impacts, including health issues, reduced visibility, and disruptions to electricity supply and transport.

Australian and American research shows that for every $1 lost on-farm, the cost is $10 off-farm when dust enters an urban area. In addition to soil loss, costs include high cleaning expenses, business downtime, transport delays, retail losses, and sandblasting of emerging crops and pastures.

Soil erosion is a function of land management and climate. Wind erosion occurs when the soil surface roughness, i.e. vegetation, soil clods or ridges, is inadequate to protect the soil surface.

Erosion is best controlled with vegetation ground cover (which we will call ‘ground cover’). While drought and fires do not directly cause wind erosion, they make it harder to manage. This is because drought and fire reduce vegetation, leaving less ground cover to protect the soil surface.

At least 50% ground cover is required to effectively control wind erosion. The risk of wind erosion increases when soils have less than 50% ground cover and when soils are loose and dry. To estimate ground cover, use this visual guide.

How wind erosion can start and where soil can end up

On farm land, the most damaging action of wind erosion is ‘saltation’. This is when soil particles of 0.1 to 0.5 mm diameter bounce across the soil surface, abrading and eroding it.

The saltating particles bombard the surface and cause an avalanche effect in a fan shape. This causes many more soil particles to mobilise downwind. With continual bombardment, finer dust particles (less than 0.1 mm) become suspended in the air and are carried away by the wind.

Dust particles of more than about 0.05 mm diameter are dropped within a couple of kilometres of the erosion site. Particles smaller than about 0.005 mm can travel thousands of kilometres.
Leys (2003)

Principles of erosion control

Wind erosion occurs when the force of the wind is greater than the resistance of the soil surface. That is, when the surface roughness is inadequate to protect the soil surface.

Roughness elements include soil particles, clods or vegetation. An example of roughness elements can be viewed in the diagram below.

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The image shows the physical processes that affect wind erosion and dust emission.

As wind blows, it can cause soil particles to bounce. When soil particles (of 0.1 to 0.5 mm diameter) bounce across the soil surface, they abrade and erode it. This is called saltation.

The saltating soil particles bombard the surface. This makes many more soil particles move downwind. Finer dust particles can become suspended in the air and carried away by wind. This causes poor air quality. As heat rises (transferred by convection), a cloud can form due to the dust. This can lead to condensation. The dust is then moved by wind and clouds and can settle further downwind. This action contributes to the loss of soil carbon and nutrients. When it rains, dust accumulated by clouds is removed. Some dust particles are dropped within a couple of kilometres of the erosion site. Very fine particles smaller than about 0.005 mm can travel thousands of kilometres.

Having adequate vegetation cover can help protect soil from being lost. Roughness elements like clods, rocks and soil crusts can also help catch and trap soil particles being moved by wind. Vegetation slows down wind as it passes over it, which can help dust to settle.

Roughness elements protect the soil in 4 ways, in that they:

are too big to be moved by the wind
cover the soil directly (e.g. a rock on the soil surface)
bind the soil particles together (e.g. soil crusts)
protect the area downwind (e.g. as a shrub or a soil clod protects the soil, by slowing the wind).

To reduce wind erosion risk, the soil surface should be protected with:

Roughness elements
- They do not need to cover the entire surface to be effective.
- Each element protects 3 times its height downwind.
Soil aggregates
- Aggregates larger than 1 mm help slow erosion.
- Aggregates or soil clods larger than 3 cm are more effective because they persist longer.
Stubble
- Stubble increases surface roughness and reduces wind speed at the soil surface.
- Standing stubble provides more protection from wind erosion than residue lying on the ground.
- While standing stubble is ideal, stubble laying on the ground and anchored by roots also protects soil.
- Loose stubble or chaff can provide some protection and is better than no ground cover.

How to control wind erosion

Visit the links below to learn about wind erosion control:

Acknowledgements

Author: Dr John Leys, DustWatch Australia Pty Ltd

Editors: Melissa Cann, Jo Cameron, Felicity Pritchard and Adam Buzza

Proofing: Casey Tomkins

Artwork: Estelle Pritchard

The FBR Program is jointly funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and the Victorian Government’s Sustainability Fund.

Page last updated: 12 Jun 2026